HBO Will Bring Back Show for 13th Season

HBO announced today that it will bring back a show for its 13th season — with the show set to premiere its 12th season this Friday. The show is "Real Time with Bill Maher," Deadline.com reports.

The show’s 35-episode season 13 will bow in January 2015, the story reports.

Said HBO Programming President Michael Lombardo: “Bill Maher has been a treasured member of the HBO family since the late ‘80s, and his irreverent wit and fearless insights make him the perfect observer for these unpredictable times."

The Deadline report notes: "The program, which takes on politics and current events, averages a gross audience of 4.1 million viewers per show. Maher headlined his first special on HBO in 1989, starring in nine solo specials. In addition to ‘Real Time,’ he is also an executive producer of the HBO news magazine show ‘Vice,’ which returns for its second season March 14. The executive producers of ‘Real Time’ are Maher, Scott Carter, Sheila Griffiths, Marc Gurvitz, Brad Grey and Billy Martin."

Maher commented: “It’s a pleasure to be returning for a 13th season on HBO. It’s something you rarely see in Hollywood: an on-again, on-again relationship.”

The renewal comes after HBO unveiled plans for a weekly show featuring John Oliver, formerly of Comedy Central’s "The Daily Show," a move that led to some speculation about whether Maher’s show would continue on the pay-cable net.